JP2000196543A - Method for displaying message in broadcast system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a message display method in a broadcast system where a display timing of a message is controlled, a display/non-display of the message is switched or display contents of the message are switched. SOLUTION: In the case of displaying a message in the broadcast system, an ECM interpreter section 47 interprets a display/non-display flag included in an ECM, a message display discrimination section 48 discriminates the display/non-display and a message interpreter section 44 displays the message according to the discrimination. Thus, the ECM can control the display timing of the message.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for displaying a message transmitted from a transmitting side to a receiving side of a broadcasting system.
Particularly, the display mode of the message on each receiving side can be controlled on the transmitting side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In digital broadcasting, program information (ECM: Entitlement Control Message) is added to video and audio data of a program.
And individual information (EMM: Entitlement Management Messag
e) is multiplexed, and data of data broadcasting, SI (Service Information) information such as an electronic program guide (EPG) and the like are multiplexed and broadcast.

[0003] The ECM includes a scramble key (Ks) obtained by scrambling video and audio data of a program, determination information for determining a contract enabling viewing of the program, and the like. Contains information for each receiving device, such as contract information of each receiving device and information on a work key (Kw) obtained by encrypting Ks.

[0004] In the conventional broadcasting system, the EMM is used to notify the receiving device of renewal of a contract or a fee for viewing, for example, "Thank you for contracting,""Viewing fee for last month has not been paid." Sending messages about is being done.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a conventional broadcasting system for transmitting a message using an EMM. The transmitting device 10 includes a message content creation unit for creating a message.
11 and an EMM that sends an EMM including the message
A transmission unit 12 and a packet replacement unit 13 for multiplexing output data of the EMM transmission unit 12 with video and audio data and transmitting the multiplexed data are provided. A reception device (IRD) 20 receives broadcast data and A signal receiving unit 21 for decoding a message from an EMM addressed thereto, a message storing unit 22 for storing the decoded message, and a message interpreting unit 23 for interpreting the message are provided.

In this system, a message content creating section 11 of a transmitting apparatus 10 creates a character string of a message,
The MM sending unit 12 creates an EMM including this message and its destination, and the EMM is multiplexed with the video and audio data of the program by the packet replacement unit 13 and broadcast.

On the other hand, in the IRD 20, the signal receiving section 21 decodes a message addressed to itself from the received EMM. There are two types of this message: “selection message” and “compulsory message”. In the case of a selection message, the decrypted message is stored in the message storage unit 22 and the user accesses the virtual message box on the screen. At this time, the message is read from the message storage unit 22, interpreted by the message interpretation unit 23, and displayed on the screen.

In the case of a forced message, the message decoded by the signal receiving unit 21 is interpreted by the message interpreting unit 23 and is forcibly displayed on the television screen.

[0009]

However, in the conventional broadcasting system, when a forced message is transmitted, the message transmitted from the transmitting side is only displayed on the screen of the receiving side at the time of transmission, and the display is not performed. It was not possible to control the timing of display / non-display or switch message contents.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and it is possible to control display timing of a message, switch display / non-display of a message, switch display contents and a display position of a message, and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a message in a broadcasting system.

[0011]

Therefore, in the message display method of the present invention, the program information or the program arrangement information is transmitted together with the message display control information.

[0012] Further, the display mode of the message on the receiving side is configured to be changed based on attribute information on the broadcasting station, which indicates the status of payment of the viewing fee.

For this reason, display / non-display of a message,
The transmitting side can control the display position of the message, the message content, and the like.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, message display control information of a message to be displayed on the receiving side is transmitted as program information, and the message is displayed on the receiving side. The mode can be controlled from the transmitting side using the program information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the message display control information of the message to be displayed on the receiving side is transmitted in the form of program arrangement information. , Can be controlled using the program arrangement information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the SI information is used as the program arrangement information, a message can be displayed in accordance with the display of the EPG, and the display mode is controlled. Can be.

The invention according to claim 4 uses EIT as the SI information, and can display a message in conjunction with the display of the EPG and control the display mode.

The invention according to claim 5 uses SDT as this SI information, and can display a message in conjunction with the display of the EPG and control the display mode.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, PSI information is used as program arrangement information, and a message can be displayed in accordance with channel switching.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the display mode of the message is changed based on the message display control information, and the display mode of the message on the receiving side can be controlled on the transmitting side. it can.

According to the present invention, the display / non-display of the message is switched based on the message display control information, and the display / non-display of the message on the receiving side is controlled on the transmitting side. can do.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a flag indicating display / non-display is used as the message display control information, and a message is displayed or not displayed according to the flag.

According to the tenth aspect, the display position of the message is changed based on the message display control information, and the display position of the message can be controlled on the transmission side.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the display mode of the message displayed on the receiving side is changed based on the attribute information on the broadcasting station, and the attribute information indicating the state of payment of the viewing fee and the like. , The display mode of the message can be changed.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the attribute information is
The message is stored on the receiving side, and the display mode of the message is determined based on the attribute information.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the attribute information includes:
The message is stored in an IC card attached to the IRD, and the display mode of the message is determined based on the attribute information.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the attribute information includes:
The message is stored in the IRD, and the display mode of the message is determined based on the attribute information.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the attribute information includes:
The transmission information is transmitted from the transmission side. Attribute information such as the state of payment of the viewing fee, which is known by the transmission side, is transmitted to the reception side, and is accumulated on the reception side.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the attribute information includes:
It is intended to be transmitted by EMM, and EMM
Attribute information is individually transmitted to each receiving side through the.

[0030] According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the display / non-display of the message is switched based on the attribute information, and the display / non-display of the message on the receiving side is determined based on the attribute information. , Can be controlled on the transmitting side.

According to the present invention, the display contents of the message are switched based on the attribute information, and the display contents of the message on the receiving side are changed on the transmitting side based on the attribute information. Can be controlled.

The invention according to claim 19 changes the display position of the message on the basis of the attribute information, and changes the display position of the message on the receiving side based on the attribute information. Can be controlled by

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, the display mode of the message on the receiving side is changed according to the presence or absence of the viewing contract. Can be controlled on the transmitting side based on the presence or absence of

According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the display / non-display of a message on the receiving side is switched according to the presence or absence of a viewing contract. A message soliciting a contract can be displayed.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the display contents of a message on the receiving side are switched in accordance with the presence or absence of a viewing contract, and a contract is invited to a viewer without a viewing contract. Message to the viewer, and a message of thank you for the contract can be displayed to the viewer who has signed the viewing contract.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, the display position of a message on the receiving side is changed according to the presence or absence of a viewing contract. Can be performed.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, a message is displayed on the EPG, and a notice or the like addressed to an individual can be displayed on the EPG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the broadcasting system according to the first embodiment includes a transmitting device 30, an IRD 40 on the receiving side, and a security module 45 mounted on the IRD 40. . Security module 45
It is composed of an IC card or the like, and stores secret information such as a decryption key and contract information.

The transmitting apparatus 30 includes a message content creating section 31 for creating a message, a scrambler 32 for scrambling video and audio data of a program, and a scramble key Ks.
A scrambling control unit 33 for generating an EMM and transmitting an ECM including Ks, an EMM transmitting unit 34 for generating and transmitting an EMM,
The system includes a data broadcast transmitting unit 35 for generating and transmitting data for data broadcasting, and a packet replacing unit 37 for multiplexing and transmitting data from each unit.

The IRD 40 includes a signal receiving unit 41 for receiving and distributing broadcast signals, a descrambler 42 for descrambling scrambled data, a message accumulating unit 43 for accumulating received messages, and interpreting the messages. A security module 45 that decrypts and interprets the encrypted ECM and a message display control information (display / non-display flag) included in the ECM. A message display determination unit 48 for determining whether to display or not display a message is provided.

In this broadcasting system, the contents of the compulsory message are transmitted to the receiving side through the EMM or data broadcasting as in the related art, and the receiving side stores this. The timing of displaying the forced message is transmitted through the ECM, and the message is displayed on the screen of the receiving side only when the display flag is set in the ECM.

Now, a case where the contents of a message are transmitted through data broadcasting will be described.

Message content creating section 31 of transmitting apparatus 30
Creates a message. This message is output through the data broadcast transmitting unit 35, multiplexed with other information by the packet replacement unit 37, and transmitted to the IRD 40. The data broadcast transmitting unit 35 may broadcast this message repeatedly (in a data carousel) or may broadcast it only once (in a data stream).

The IRD 40 receives this signal at the signal receiving unit 41, and if the message is encrypted, decrypts the code with the descrambler 42 and stores the decrypted message in the message storage unit 43.

Thus, the IRD 40 holds the message content.

The message content creation unit 31 of the transmitting device 30
Specifies the display timing of this message to the scrambler control unit 33. In response, the scrambler controller 33 creates and transmits an ECM including the message display control information. FIG. 2 shows the data format of this ECM.

In the IRD 40, the received ECM is passed to the security module 45, and the ECM interpreting section 47 in the security module decodes the message display control information contained therein and outputs it to the message display judging section 48, and outputs the message display judging section. The unit 48 instructs the message interpretation unit 44 in the IRD to display a message only when the display flag is set in the message display control information. In response to this, the message interpreter 44 acquires the contents of the message from the message storage 43 and displays it on the screen.

As described above, in this system, display / non-display of a message can be controlled by the ECM.

Therefore, a message intended for people watching the program is displayed at a time when the video of the program is not disturbed, or displayed at the climax of the program,
The display timing of the message can be appropriately controlled on the transmission side, such as displaying the message immediately before the end of the program.

It should be noted that the contents of the message can be represented by data broadcast or S
When the message is transmitted through the I or the like, a message common to all IRDs is displayed. When the content of the message is transmitted through the EMM, a message for each IRD can be displayed. .

(Second Embodiment) In the broadcasting system of the second embodiment, the display mode of a message is switched in accordance with attribute information indicating the state of payment of a viewing fee and the like.

In this broadcasting system, as shown in FIG. 3, the transmitting side device 30 is provided with an attribute information creating section 38 for creating attribute information, and the security module 45 decrypts the encrypted EMM. An EMM interpreting section 46 for converting and interpreting the data, and an attribute information storage section 49 for storing attribute information sent by the EMM are provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

The attribute information is, for example, information indicating whether the viewing contract has been completed or not, or information indicating the state of payment of the viewing fee, and can be grasped by the transmitting device 30.

This attribute information is created by the attribute information creating unit 38 of the transmitting side device 30, and the EMM is created by the message content creating unit 31.
And sent to the EMM sending unit 34. The EMM transmitting section 34 outputs an EMM including the attribute information and the destination to the packet switch 37, and the EMM is multiplexed with other information from the packet switch 37 and transmitted.

In the IRD 40, the received EMM is passed to the security module 45, and the EMM interpreting section 46 in the security module detects the EMM addressed to itself, extracts the attribute information contained therein, and stores the attribute information etc. storage section. Store in 49. FIG. 4 shows the data format of the attribute information stored in the attribute information storage unit 49.

The message content creation unit 31 of the transmission side device 30 transmits the created message to the IRD 40 through data broadcasting, EMM, SI, etc., as in the first embodiment, and the message storage unit 43 of the IRD 40. It accumulates.

The message display judging section 48 judges display / non-display of the message based on the attribute information accumulated in the accumulating section 49 such as attribute information, and outputs the judgment result to the message interpreting section 44 of the IRD 40. For example, if the viewing fee has been paid, it is determined that the message urging the payment of the viewing fee is not displayed.

When a message is actually transmitted to the viewer, the message content creation unit 31 of the transmitting device 30
The EMM sending unit 34 is instructed on the destination of the message. In response to this, the EMM sending unit 34 sends an EMM including the destination address of the destination.
Generate and transmit MM.

In the IRD 40, the received EMM is passed to the security module 45. When the EMM interpreting section 46 in the security module detects an EMM addressed to itself to instruct a message display, the EMM interpreting section 46 sends a message to the message interpreting section 44 in the IRD. Is displayed.

If the message display judging unit 48 judges that the message is to be displayed, the message interpreting unit 44
Get the contents of the message from 43 and display it on the screen. In addition, when the determination by the message display determination unit 48 is non-display, no message is displayed.

As described above, in this system, display / non-display of a message can be switched based on attribute information.

In this case, the contents of the message can be switched based on the attribute information.
The message "Pay this month's viewing fee" and the message "Thank you for paying the viewing fee" are stored in the message storage unit 43, and the message displayed according to the attribute information is properly used. Can be.

The display position of the message can be changed based on the attribute information.

As described above, in this broadcasting system, information that only the broadcast station knows from the broadcast station is sent to the IRD IC card, and the display mode is changed based on the information. This has not been done so far, and the present invention enables the broadcast station to control the display mode of the message on the receiving side in a new and different form.

It should be noted that attribute information can be stored in the IRD.

(Third Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 5, the system according to the third embodiment has a configuration in which the first embodiment (FIG. 1) and the second embodiment (FIG. 3) are combined. have.

In this system, the display / non-display of the message, the message content or the display position of the message can be switched based on the attribute information, and the display time can be controlled by the ECM.

Further, if this message is displayed in a specific area on the screen of the EPG, unlike a conventional EPG common to each person, a notice addressed individually from a broadcasting station or the like is included. The EPG can be displayed.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the system of the fourth embodiment, message display control information is transmitted using program arrangement information.

When switching the channel to be viewed, the viewer specifies a channel number or displays an EPG on the screen.
And select the desired channel or program.

When the channel number is designated, the IRD receives PSI (Program Specific Information) and receives the PSI of the designated channel.
Find the ID (Packet Identifier),
TS (Transport Stream)
, The packets such as video and audio having this PID are separated and decoded.

When the display of the EPG is instructed,
When an EPG is displayed upon receiving SI (Service Information) and a viewer selects a channel or a program from the EPG, packets such as video and audio having the PID of the program selected from the TS are displayed. Are separated, decoded and displayed.

The PSI and SI, which are the information of the program selection, are called program arrangement information.

The PSI includes a PMT (Prog) indicating the PID of a packet for transmitting video, audio, additional data, and the like of a program.
ram Map Table) and PAT (Pro
gramAssociation Table), NIT (NetworkInformation Table) indicating physical information on the transmission path, and E describing Ks for descrambling pay broadcast.
CAT (Conditional Ac) indicating the PID of the CM packet
cess Table).

When selecting a program by this PSI, the NIT is received, the receiving condition of the corresponding channel is set, the PAT is received, the PID of the PMT is obtained,
Upon receiving T, the PID of the video, audio, and additional data of the corresponding program is recognized, and the PID of the ECM is obtained from the CAT. Then, packets having PIDs matching those are separated from the TS, and the video / audio of the specified program is decoded.

On the other hand, the SI includes an SDT (?) In which a channel ID and a channel name are described, and an EIT (Event In) in which information of an event start time and an end time is described.
The IRD receives this SI, and displays a program table having a time axis and a channel axis on a screen by the EPG software owned by the IRD. This EP
When a channel or program is selected from G, packets such as video and audio having the PID of the corresponding program are separated from the TS, decoded, and displayed.

In the system of this embodiment, message display control information is transmitted using the SI or PSI.

This broadcasting system, as shown in FIG.
When the transmitting device 30 determines that the PSI including the message display control
Alternatively, a PSI / SI transmitting unit 51 for outputting SI is provided, and the IRD 40 on the receiving side includes a PSI / SI interpreting unit 52 for interpreting message display control information included in the PSI and SI, and a message display control information And a message display determination unit 48 for determining whether to display or not to display a message or a display position based on the message. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

In this broadcasting system, the contents of the compulsory message created by the message contents creating unit 31 of the transmitting device 30 are transmitted to the receiving side through EMM, data broadcasting, etc., and the IRD 40 stores this in the message storage unit 43. .

The message content creation section 31 outputs message display control information for designating the display timing and display position of the message to the PSI / SI transmission section 51. In response to this, the PSI / SI transmitting unit 51 outputs the PMT,
PAT, NIT or CAT or SDT or EI
T is transmitted including the message display control information.

Now, a case will be described in which the message display control information is transmitted while being included in the EIT. The data format of this EIT is shown in FIG.

In the IRD 40, when the EIT is received,
The signal receiving section 41 separates the PSI / SI interpreting section 52
Output to The PSI / SI interpreter 52 extracts the message display control information contained therein and outputs it to the message display determiner 48. The message display determiner 48 determines whether the message display control information specifies a display or a display position. Then, it instructs the message interpreter 44 to display the message by specifying the display position.

The message interpreting section 44 receives the message, acquires the contents of the message from the message storing section 43, and displays the message at the designated position on the screen.

As described above, in this system, the display / non-display and the display position of the message can be controlled by the program arrangement information. Therefore, a message appears on the screen when the EPG is displayed, a message appears on the screen when the channel is switched, or a message appears on the screen when the selected program is displayed. And so on.

Further, by combining the configuration of the second embodiment (FIG. 3) with this broadcasting system, the display / non-display of the message, the contents of the message or the display position of the message are switched based on the attribute information. Is also possible.

Thus, unlike an EPG common to all individuals, it is possible to display an EPG including a notice addressed individually from a broadcast station or the like.

[0088]

As is apparent from the above description, in the message display method of the present invention, the display timing of the message, the display / non-display of the message, the content of the displayed message, the display position, and the like are controlled from the transmission side. Is possible.

For this reason, a message for prompting a contract is displayed only to viewers who do not have a viewing contract, and a message urging a viewing fee is displayed for a person who has been late for paying a viewing fee. People who have paid can be shown a message thanking them for paying for the viewing fee.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcast system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data configuration of an ECM according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcasting system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration of attribute information according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcast system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcasting system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data configuration of an EIT according to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional broadcasting system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 30 Transmitting side device 11, 31 Message content creation unit 12, 34 EMM transmission unit 13, 37 Packet replacement unit 20, 40 IRD 21, 41 Signal reception unit 22, 43 Message storage unit 23, 44 Message interpretation unit 32 Scrambler 33 Scramble control unit 35 Data broadcast transmission unit 38 Attribute information creation unit 42 Descrambler 45 Security module 46 EMM interpretation unit 47 ECM interpretation unit 48 Message display determination unit 49 Attribute information storage unit 51 PSI / SI transmission unit 52 PSI / SI interpretation Department

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Yoshimasa Goto, inventor 1006, Kazuma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Tsutomu Shigesawa 1006 Kadoma, Kazuma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Information Systems Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeru Shigeru 1006 Kadoma, Kazuma, Kadoma, Osaka Pref. AC01 AC05 AC10 CA23 CA40 EB01 EB33 EB35 5C064 BA01 BB10 BC16 BC17 BC20 BC22 BC23 BD07

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. A message display method in a broadcast system, wherein message display control information of a message displayed on a receiving side is transmitted as program information. 2. A message display method in a broadcast system, wherein message display control information of a message displayed on a receiving side is transmitted as program arrangement information. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the program arrangement information is SI information. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the SI information is EIT. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the SI information is SDT. 6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the program arrangement information is PSI information. 7. The message display method in a broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein a display mode of the message is changed based on the message display control information. 8. The message display method according to claim 7, wherein display / non-display of a message is switched based on the message display control information. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the message display control information includes a display /
9. The message display method in a broadcast system according to claim 8, wherein the flag is a flag indicating non-display. 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the display position of the message is changed based on the message display control information. 11. A message display method in a broadcast system, wherein a display mode of a message displayed on a receiving side is changed based on attribute information on a broadcast station. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the attribute information is stored on a receiving side. 13. The method according to claim 13, wherein the attribute information is an IRD attached to an IRD.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the message is stored in a C card. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the attribute information is stored in an IRD. 15. The message display method in a broadcast system according to claim 11, wherein the attribute information is transmitted from a transmitting side. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the attribute information is transmitted by an EMM. 17. The system according to claim 1, wherein display / non-display of a message is switched based on the attribute information.
2. A message display method in the broadcast system according to 1. 18. The method according to claim 11, wherein display contents of the message are switched based on the attribute information. 19. The method according to claim 11, wherein a display position of the message is changed based on the attribute information. 20. The message display method in a broadcast system according to claim 11, wherein a display mode of a message on a receiving side is changed according to whether or not a viewing contract is made. 21. The method for displaying a message in a broadcast system according to claim 20, wherein display / non-display of a message on a receiving side is switched according to whether or not a viewing contract exists. 22. The method of displaying a message in a broadcast system according to claim 20, wherein the display content of the message on the receiving side is switched according to the presence or absence of a viewing contract. 23. The method for displaying a message in a broadcast system according to claim 20, wherein the display position of the message on the receiving side is changed according to the presence or absence of a viewing contract. 24. The method according to claim 2, wherein the message is displayed on an EPG.